Maybe Waiting Works
by Sammy1014eva
Summary: My first fanfic. Jess and Becker have been dodging each other ever since they met. The flirtatious looks and chocolate giving have Jess completely confused once nothing comes of it. What happens when she catches Becker in the gym one day?
1. Chapter 1

Jess walked towards the gym, fed up of the constant chatter that was occurring between Abby and Connor over her comm. Well, it was more like arguing than talking...as usual. Jess put her finger to her comm, determined to shut them up.

"Guys, you know I don't care about you tearing each other to shreds at home but give it a rest. Or, just turn your comms off, not everyone at the ARC wants to hear your squabbling."

Jess had had enough. They should be happy together, happy they've got each other. Jess didn't even have that. All she got was a bar of chocolate every now and again. After convergence, she thought something might spark between her and a certain Captain, but...no. Nothing at all. What more does he want? Her to get flustered every damn time he walks past her or talks to her? She already does that. Unfortunately she has no control over it. Especially when he leans over her chair and puts his hand right by her shoulder, his face so close that all it would take is a turn of her head and she would be kissing him. It still doesn't work though. She'd never be bold enough to do that. Reprimand him: sure. But spontaneously kiss him? Never gonna happen. Thing is, what would it take for him to make a move?

'Maybe I should just give up.' Jess thought as she pulled the gym door open. 'He's clearly not interested'

Once she'd opened the door, Jess was greeted with the sight of 40 sweat ridden men, most of who were on the crash mats, exhausted. In the middle of the room, on a crash mat, was Becker himself. He was battling his second in command. Jess always thought there was something sexy about two men working out. She didn't know how long they had been sparring, but the 2IC went down just seconds after she walked through the door. She smiled as she watched Becker wipe sweat from his brow. He was wearing a sleeveless black vest with black tracksuit bottoms and trainers. The complete opposite to Jess, who was wearing a purple skirt, which came to the middle of her thigh, a lime green top and electric blue wedges which had a heel that would break someone's neck if they weren't used to wearing such heights.

Becker's biceps seemed to pulsate as he ran a hand through his lovely hair. Jess still couldn't get over the fact that she had told him that she liked his 'lovely hair' and that she wanted to 'touch it'. He must of thought she was crazy to be thinking such thoughts about a colleague. She continued to use the excuse of her being delirious from the allergic reaction though.

One thing she had never seen Becker do before is laugh. Yet, here he is with his men laughing his head off. He smiled that gorgeous smile that she had only seen on a few occasions when he thought no one was looking.

She crossed the gym, the crash mats deflating slightly with the indent of her shoe. Becker looked up at the click of her heel as soon as she hit the hard, wood floor of the gym.

"What are you doing here Jess?"

"I came to tell you that there's a team meeting in five minutes. Nobody could get hold of you on comms."

"Team meeting? Who called it?"

"That would be Matt. I have a feeling that he's been hiding something from us again."

Becker picked up a towel from a nearby bench and slung it around his neck, walking towards her slowly.

"You mean like the time you thought Matt was 'acting strange'?"

"Yeah, and I was right about that one wasn't I?"

Becker seemed to falter a bit, but only slightly. His men had returned to working out and were paying the two no attention at all.

"You didn't need to come all the way down here. I can catch up in my own time. You certainly shouldn't be in here in those heels. Scratch the floor they will."

"If you're gonna lecture me on my choice of footwear again, do it whist we're walking to this meeting. Go get changed, now."

Becker came up close to her, so close that her nose was almost touching his sweaty chest. She wrinkled her nose in disgust slightly.

"Are you attempting to give me orders, Miss Parker?"

"No, Captain. I believe I give you orders everyday when you're out in the field."

"It's called navigation. And don't get too cocky."

"Hmm...you know how I said I read everyone's files?"

Becker rolled his eyes at her, amused that she was bringing this up again yet intrigued as to where she would take it.

"Yes, but not the personal bits."

"Oh, of course not, I am a professional. I do find out certain things though that I'm sure your men would be quite happy to know. For example, your first name."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, wouldn't I? Try me."

Becker began walking again, backing her up to the gym wall. He looked down intensely at her and, for a second, she thought he might actually scold her.

But he did the complete opposite.

He kissed her.

It started out hesitant, neither of them really knowing what to make of it. It then grew into something much more passionate. Becker wrapped his arms around her waist, locking them at the small of her back. Jess brought her hands up to his biceps, feeling the slippery smooth skin, evidence that he had been working out for quite a long time. She opened her mouth to him as soon as she felt his tongue touch her lips. Their tongues fought for dominance lazily until Jess gave in. She felt as if she was melting into the wall. The cat calls and yells of 'Go Cap' far in the distance.

After what seemed like an eternity, Becker broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead to Jess' and sighed.

'This is it.' Jess thought. 'This is where he tells me he regrets it.'

Becker lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye.

"I know it may seem a bit forward, but would you like to come to my place tonight? I'd love to cook for you." She never expected that to come from him.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to do that for a while now. Didn't have the courage before."

"Of course I'll have dinner with you. But..."

"But what?"

"But...first we have to get to this meeting. Otherwise Lester will never let us go home on time tonight."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go get freshened up and meet you there."

Becker extracted himself from Jess, gave a stern look to his men and walked out of the gym towards the changing rooms. Jess stood against the wall for a minute, making sure her legs would cooperate when she went to move. Finally, she followed Becker's footsteps out of the gym and smiled to herself. She had finally got the man of her dreams!

Faintly, the chatter of the core team could be heard. Having heard everything, they were extremely pleased that their two dear friends had finally gotten their act together. Even Lester, who opened up his bottle of whiskey and toasted the new couple silently in his office.


	2. Reminiscing The Not So Good Times

After getting some lovely reviews from the first chapter, I couldn't resist making this into a full story ;) I don't own primeval or the characters. My prompt for this chapter came to me after reading stories where Becker storms out after hearing Matt's secret about the future. I thought: What if Jess was the one to storm out? Here it is...

Jess didn't get much work done once she got back to the ADD. The meeting had been extremely tense, just thinking about it dampened her mood. Jess frowned as she remembered what had happened...

_Jess and Becker walked into Matt's office, all heads turning as they did. They were walking with a slight distance between them, having separated from holding hands on their journey from the gym. Becker looked confused as Connor snickered behind Abby's shoulder whilst she smirked. _

_"Glad you could finally make it. We can get started now." Matt looked impatient as he leant against the desk. _

_Jess went and stood by Abby, the blond giving her a quick nudge and a wink-obviously telling her that she would spill everything that had happened later. The youngest on the team looked suspiciously at her, before turning back to Matt.  
_

_"So, what's so important? I was training with my men." Connor went bright red as he tried to hold in his laughter, knowing exactly what sort of 'training' had been going on.  
_

_Matt took a deep breath and seemed to move slightly,away from Becker's reach. Jess may have imagined it, it was so subtle. "As you know, I'm from the future. We stopped Phillip's machine and what could potentially be the end of the world. for those of you who have seen the future, you can probably imagine how glad I am that we sorted this problem."  
_

_there were nods coming from Abby, Connor and Becker. Jess had no experience of the future first hand but had read enough in the reports to never want to be in the situation they had been in.  
_

_"When we went to sort out the anomaly and the missing train, I stayed behind because i saw something. something that was worse than any predator that i have ever come across because it shocked me to my very core." Never knew Matt was someone to be dramatic.  
_

_Connor and Becker exchanged a glance, wondering who was gonna make a comment first. It seemed Becker was braver to mock the team leader. "What was that then? Your reflection? It sure as hell scared me when i first saw your face." The words may have come across as harsh but the cheeky grin on the captains face suggested otherwise.  
_

_Matt looked up at him, a solemn expression gracing his features. "Yes. a duplicate of myself, a clone maybe, I don't know. but I saw myself and he spoke to me. there were no mirrors, anything that could have caused a reflection. He told me to 'go back'."  
_

_Jess tilted her head to the side, speaking for the first time since entering the room. "But...that must have been ages ago. Why are you only telling us now?"  
_

_Matt looked directly at her, stunned at the accusation that was all over her face. "I didn't know what to do with it. I still don't. We've all bonded as a team and I felt it was time to share this with you, to have you by my side if anything went wrong."  
_

_"A lot could go wrong Matt! Trust is what kept us a team. We all have to trust each other. There are so many examples where our trust for one another shines through yet you always seem to drop a bombshell on us that shatters any ounce of trust we have for you." Everyone looked at Jess in astonishment. None of them were used to her raising her voice at anyone, she was usually the one calming them all down.  
_

_"I know, Jess...but I..." Matt was lost for words, but Jess had plenty to say.  
_

_"You all trust me when you're out in the field right? Of course you do! Otherwise you could die out there. You may still die but...that's not the point! You all trust me to guide you and be your eyes and ears at some points. You may have all have had your doubts about me when I started but that changed. You trusted me. How can I trust you Matt if you don't want to trust me with your secrets? Ones that could affect the team?"  
_

_Jess had gone red in the face, her chest and shoulders heaving with the anger she felt. Becker came up next to her and discreetly started rubbing between the back of her shoulders. She jumped slightly at the new contact but quickly relaxed into it. Abby and Connor looked at each other with small smiles on their faces, happy to see the evidence of what they had heard over the comms earlier. It was nice for them to see Becker care for Jess, not run away from his feelings like he did after the beetle incursion.  
_

_"I'm sorry Jess, I want you to trust me." Poor Matt had no sympathy from anyone. Becker would have shot him, Abby sparred and kicked his arse whilst Connor would have concocted some sort of mixture that would make him delirious. None of them had to do this though, as Jess looked ready to shout again.  
_

_"As Abby's said many times, trust has to be earned. It may be easy to earn it but it's also easy to lose it. Remember that for the next time you decide to keep a secret." Jess sent a particularly hateful look towards Matt and stormed out. Everyone stared after her in shock.  
_

_Connor handed Abby a £20 note. Becker raised an eyebrow at him.  
_

_"I bet Abby that you would be the one to walk out first. I thought she was mad when she said Jess would but..." Connor had the decency to look ashamed of himself.  
_

_Becker just shook his head and smiled at the immaturity of his friends. He began to walk over to Matt, then thought better of it and walked out of the office-no doubt after Jess. He didn't have to go far. Just around the corner was Jess, sitting down against the wall with her head on her knees. Becker could see that she was still wound up, and kneeled down beside her.  
_

_"I'm sorry, I just felt so betrayed." Her voice was so quiet and small compared to what they had just heard in the meeting.  
_

_"It's not your fault. I would've punched him."  
_

_"Ha, I felt like it too. The only thing that calmed me down was the idea of getting out of here tonight and spending dinner with you."  
_

_Becker leaned towards her and placed a quick kiss on her head. "I'll meet you at the ADD at the end of your shift. I'll give you a lift home and pick you up once I've been food shopping. Okay?"  
_

_Jess lifted her head and look at him with an intrigued expression. "Okay...what are you going to cook?"  
_

_"Now...that would be telling. It's a surprise."  
_

_Jess just smiled, knowing he had asked Abby for help and that she could get it out of her when she went home to change. She got up, waited for him to do the same, and made her way back to the Ops Room with a flirtatious smile thrown to Becker over her shoulder.  
_

_Becker walked back to the armoury, praying the rest of the day went quickly and quietly.  
_

Jess was jolted out of her memories by Becker placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah...just let me log off." Slightly flustered, her fingers flew over the keys and she jumped up.

Becker gave her a dazzling smile and held his arm out to her. "Shall we, Miss Parker?"

"Of course, Captain."

They walked out of Ops together, talking quietly about how the rest of their day had gone.


	3. The Dinner Date

**I don't own primeval or these characters. Just my creative mind. Please review**

Becker was relaxed, a complete difference to earlier in the gym. He had finished shopping after frantically running around the supermarket. He had the idea of what to cook when he was in the shooting range after the team meeting. It seemed stupid now. Rogers, his firearms expert, had said about how some of the men were chicken-afraid of the real guns, preferring the EMDs. Chicken! It was perfect. The meal would be light and fluffy with tons of flavour.

Before shopping, he had dropped Jess off at her flat. She had been given instructions to relax and make sure nothing had spoiled her appetite.

Jess was standing in front of the mirror, a criticising look on her face. She was wearing a black and white sundress which reached her knees. It had an oriental effect which emphasised the modest halter neck top. She accessorised with colour;a yellow flower headband, a multicoloured ring on her right index finger and adorable purple heels. The heels were special to her. They may not have gone with the outfit bit they had been the heels she wore the first time she had met the captain when he came out of the ARC lift. She was smiling dreamily to herself when Abby poked her head into her room.

"You look lovely. Becker's here." She had a suggestive glint in her eye, implying that this date could turn into something more.

"It's just dinner, Abby. We're not running off to Vegas to get married."

Abby laughed, amused by Jess' comment. "I should hope not. I wanna be there when you two tie the knot."

Jess turned quickly from the mirror, not even swaying on her heels. "When?! We haven't even gone on a first date and you're already waiting for us to get married? Don't you dare mention that word to Becker!" Jess looked like an angry little kitten when she was trying to scold Abby. Which made it hard to take her seriously.

"Okay, okay. Now get going." Abby came closer to her and pushed her out of the room by a hand on the small of Jess' back. Once they'd gotten out of the room, Jess was shocked at Becker's appearance. He was wearing black washed out jeans with a dark blue button down shirt. Black dress shoes covered his feet. Connor was trying to give him a talk about all the expectations of taking Jess out. Becker listened politely, even though he silently wished he had brought a small EMD with him. He smiled when Jess stood in front of him. He held his arm out to her, she took it and they walked out of the apartment.

Abby and Connor looked confused as they closed the door.

"Are they supposed to be that quiet?" Connor asked as he flopped down on the sofa.

"God knows." Abby replied.

As they got outside the apartment block, Becker stopped then walking and turned to Jess.

"You look beautiful tonight. I'm very lucky." He had his hands on either side of her face and leant down to kiss her.

The kiss was short and sweet, only lasting for a few seconds. Once they unlocked their lips, Jess rested her head on his shoulder whilst he wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm...yes you are. You look very handsome. "She chuckled to herself.

"Thank you. Shall we get in the car?" Jess nodded and they walked to the car quietly, swinging their joined hands between them.

The drive to his flat went extremely quickly for both of them, both nervous and excited. Becker pulled the car into a free parking spot and got out to walk over to Jess' side. She had already opened her door so he offered her a hand to take. She looked up with a smile and took it. Once she had gotten out of the car, he closed the door and quickly locked it. Becker smiled at her before they set off into the apartment block.

The wait in the lift was tense. Two of Becker's neighbours had joined them and Jess had been pushed into the corner as Becker shielded her from the heavy make out session occurring in the middle of the elevator.

"So...are you going to tell me what we're...what we're...having for dinner?" Jess tried to keep things comfortable but she was constantly distracted by the enthusiastic couple in front of her.

Luckily, the lift stopped on Becker's floor and they squeezed past the couple. Jess let out a sigh of relief and smiled shyly at Becker. He stopped in front of his door and opened it quickly. He turned to Jess with a slightly nervous expression.

"Shall we?"

"Sure. The food smells great..."

"Yeah I...started cooking before I came to pick you up. Wanted to save time."

"Good idea." For some strange reason, things had become awkward between the two of them.

Jess entered the flat and Becker followed soon after. He closed the door behind him and took Jess' coat from her. After hanging it up, he ushered for her to look around whilst he went to the kitchen.

"Should be about five minutes." Becker shouted from over the oven.

"Okay, just looking around." Jess had walked into the living room and was had expected to find plain walls, no photos and a plain, black sofa. She found warm colour tones with a dark blue sofa and chair set. A 40 inch tv stood opposite on a stand. Photo frames littered the tables and mantle piece. They showed a younger Becker, with a few other men, laughing in his sandhurst uniform. He looked so carefree, no problem of loss. There were also photos of Becker with his family, along with one if the old ARC team: Sarah, Danny, Conner, Abby and Becker. They were all laughing and Sarah was snuggled into Becker.

Jess turned away from the photos. At that moment, Becker shouted from the kitchen.

"It's ready."

Jess walked into the kitchen and was nearly knocked back with the amazing aroma that greeted her. Becker was stood with his back to her, dishing up. She went to ask what they were having but he beat her to it.

"Chicken breast filled with garlic and herb phillidepia and chicken rice. Thought white wine would go well with it. "

"Wow, that sounds...great. I can't even describe how amazing it sounds." Jess couldn't believe that he had cooked that. She sat down at the table as he placed the plates down. Sitting down opposite her, he grabbed the wine and poured them both a glass.

Jess took a tentative bite, she'd never been the biggest fan of chicken. The flavour exploded in her mouth and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"This is amazing." Becker worried that the sounds of approval she was making were slightly x-rated.

"Glad you like it. " Becker inwardly sighed with relief as he had not been sure of how it would turn out.

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal. As soon as both plates were cleared, Becker looked at Jess expectantly: waiting for her to ask about dessert.

"I loved that. Have we got dessert?" She was smiling angelically, looking so adorable.

"Yeah, you're gonna love this. "

He walked over to the microwave and blocked Jess' view of it. He glanced back at her briefly and saw she was looking around the kitchen.

"Here it is."

Jess turned around and was stunned to silence.

**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. Let me know what you think dessert should be xx Sam x**


	4. Meeting the Parents

Becker pulled the dessert out of the microwave. He turned to Jess with a cheeky smile. Jess's jaw dropped when she saw what it was. A melted chocolate fountain surrounded by melted marshmallows in a circle. He placed it in the middle of the table and pulled up a chair to be closer to Jess. Two spoons lay on the table and Becker handed one to her. Jess looked at the dessert as if it was the gates to heaven. She scooped up a huge mound of chocolate onto her spoon and took a taste. Once again, Becker waited for a response. Jess swallowed and looked at him, her face expressionless. Just as he began to feel bad, thinking that she didn't like it, she broke into a huge grin.

"It's absolutely gorgeous. Gorgeous taste, gorgeous looking, gorgeous scent, gor-." She was cut off by him feeding her another spoonful. Despite her mouth being full, she still tried to talk but it came out as a mumble.

For the next ten minutes, the room was filled with laughter and shrieking as Becker flung chocolate and marshmallows at her. Jess thought it was a waste of chocolate but it was fun. He had a good aim, so nothing hit her face or hair. Most of it hit the walls as she ducked out of the way. After finally giving up, he stood to get a mop. Chocolate stains looked so wrong on the white kitchen walls. His parents were supposed to be arriving tomorrow and he needed to keep the place clean. His mother was very particular when it came to housekeeping. He had been brought up by the motto of "keep calm and clean." It was ridiculous how much hype there was about this "keep calm" phrase.

Once he'd finished cleaning, they moved to the sofa and put a random film on. They ended up with Jurassic Park and laughed at the irony.

"As if we don't get enough dinosaurs at work." Jess laughed, snuggling into his side.

"Yeah..." He seemed distracted. Little did she know it was because he was focusing on the warmth of her body. He hadn't had a woman apart from his family. His last girlfriend had left him after he left for his last tour with Special Forces. They had been together for three years, after he had made it back from his first tour. Camille had been the complete opposite to Jess, all of his girlfriends had been. That's why he had found it so weird when he started to have feelings for Jess; she wasn't exactly his usual type. Maybe that's why they got on so well, they were complete opposites.

"So...tell me a bit about your family." The last thing Becker wanted was to get on the topic of work, so he decided to steer well clear of the subject.

Jess smiled at him and sat up onto one end of the sofa. She crossed her legs and grabbed one of his hands, threading her fingers with his.

"I've got three brothers and two sisters. My family is very military based. Dad was in Special Force, a General, and Liam, Jake and Connor followed in his footsteps. My sisters, Emma and Chrissie, were expected to marry and become military wives, never happened. They went into the army themselves. They sort of...didn't want to end up like mum: staying home to look after the kids, worrying about her husband-wondering if he was alive or not."

Becker was slightly shocked to hear that she had a military family.

"So... how come you didn't go into the army? They're always looking for field coordinators."

"Never appealed to me. I did six months training to become a FCO. The look on soldiers faces...the pain, grief...loss. I couldn't deal with it at the time. Look where I am now...dealing with it every day."

"Well...you're not on your own. You know you can talk to us about anything. I've learnt that...it's not good to keep it all bottled up."

Jess gave him a watery smile, her eyes filled with tears. Becker pulled her into his arms, whilst she clung to him for dear life.

"I'm sorry...so...sorry. I've ruined our d-d-date."

Becker shushed her, trying to calm her down. He rocked her back and forth, like he imagined he would do with their child one day. Whoa...where did that thought come from? One date and he was already thinking like that? They were in trouble.

Jess' sobbing had died down and she looked at him, sniffling. He could see her eyes were grateful, her message clear.

"Thank you."

He leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. He could taste the salt from her tears. Stroking his cheeks, she relaxed into the kiss. It grew heated after a few minutes, just like in the gym. Becker pushed her back into the sofa and she chuckled. Her hand was teasing him at the bottom of his back, running underneath his shirt. Whilst she was doing that, he was running his hands through her hair. They were both so lost in each other that they didn't realise someone had opened the front door.

Said someone cleared their throat, grabbing the couple's attention. Becker swore when he saw who it was. He scrambled to his feet, blocking Jess from their view whilst she made sure her cotes weren't showing anything inappropriate. She stood up and put her arm around his waist, and he did the same to her.

"Jess...these are my parents."

His mum and dad were standing wide eyed with their four large suitcases next to them.

"Hi." Jess went extremely quiet and was looking anywhere around the room except at his parents.

"Hello dear. Who's this darling?" Becker's mum had a sweet voice, the kind that soothed you when you were upset

Becker seemed to snap out of his shocked state at that.

"This is..."

"Someone who's gotta get home." Jess interrupted him whilst she grabbed her bag from the floor by the sofa.

Becker withdrew, looking extremely confused and hurt. Before anyone could say anything, Jess kissed his cheek and smiled at his parents on her way out. She grabbed her coat and left. His parents looked at him with their eyebrows raised, the infamous Becker eyebrows.

Becker just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed their suitcases.

"I have absolutely no idea."

They had missed Jess hyperventilating once his parents had made their presence known.


	5. The Bad News That Brings You Closer

Sorry for taking so long to update. Had a lot going on recently when it comes to exams and that Please review xx

Becker got up the next morning to the smell of bacon cooking. He could hear his mum happily humming to herself and his dad watching TV in the guest bedroom. Becker walked out of his room and into the kitchen, seeing his mum bobbing her head around in time to the rhythm of her tune. He rested his head on her shoulder, startling her. When she turned around he grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate next to the cooker and stuffed it into his mouth.

"How are you this morning darling?" His mum shouted to him as she took a plate of the fry up into the guest bedroom to her husband.

"Good thanks. Thanks for breakfast." He wasn't used to shouting in his flat. It was usually just him around. Would that change if things went further with Jess?

His mum came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with her son.

"Don't you have work today? At your big, top secret workplace?" He hated that he couldn't tell his family about what he did for a living. It didn't help when the wages came through and he'd gone and brought a brand new car. The new Land Rover didn't come cheap, and his family knew that. Questions were constantly fired at him and he had felt like an idiot for showing up to a family dinner in that car.

"No, I took the next few days off to spend with you and dad. I was due a few days holiday anyway. I never take time off anymore."

"Ah, right. So...the young brunette that you were crushing on your sofa last night?" His mum raised her eyebrow in a way that Becker found familiar.

"Her name's Jess, I work with her. She's the field co-ordinator."

"Oh, she's...different from your previous girlfriends...colourful." He could see that she was having difficulty finding a word to describe Jess without offending anyone.

"I know but...she's really special. I'm not sure what it was at first but she somehow managed to worm her way into my life."

His mum leaned forward and put her chin on her hand, resting er elbow on the table.

"Wait...is this the same Jess you were talking about when you came to see us a couple of weeks ago? The one who nearly died from an allergic reaction?"

"Yeah..she sort of...cornered me the other day." He looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs in nervousness.

"You rang up that day...you were so scared."

Becker continued to look down into his coffee cup.

"Of course I was scared. I think that was when I...realised that we weren't just friends and that...I could lose her at anytime. I've gotta make the most of it."

He hadn't meant to sound so morbid but that was the way it came across to his mum. She picked up on those things easily, having had a son who had been in the military for 11 years. She stood up and went over to him, cupping his face in both of her hands in order to get him to focus on her.

"Now, you listen to me. You're strong, you're brave and most importantly, you have so many years ahead of you. I don't care how dangerous your job is, you'll keep on fighting. As any soldier does. Especially now that you've got someone fighting with you."

Becker smiled at his mum just as his father walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. He walked over to the counter and poured himself a coffee before going over to the table and patting his son on the back briefly. Their relationship had been strained since Becker had started at the ARC. His dad hated secrets with a passion. His reaction to his son keeping secrets was...well, unpleasant. Plates had been thrown, glasses smashed and doors slammed as his dad stormed out and Becker rushed down to the basement that had been converted into a small shooting range to blow off some steam. That was a few years ago. Things still hadn't improved. Becker stood up just as his dad sat down.

"I'm gonna go and get changed. I wanna see if I can catch Jess before she heads off to work. See you later."

He walked out of the door ten minutes later; showered, clean shaven and changed. He jumped in the car and stopped for a second. He had given Jess a lift to his place yesterday. He hoped to God that she had called a taxi last night instead of walking home alone. His block wasn't the greatest one around. Shaking his head, he started the engine and began the familiar drive to her flat. The drive was quick, that may have been because Becker was reaching 60MPH down the deserted roads at 8AM. As he got out of the car, he saw Jess leaving her flat with a suitcase in her hand. Rushing over to her, it was noticeable that she had been crying.

"Jess, whats happened?" He pulled her into a sideways hug as her tears began to fall again.

"It's...it's Liam. He's been injured. I'm gonna meet my parents at the hospital in Cardiff in a bit. He's being flown in. They're saying...saying he's...critical at the moment."

With that, she let all of her weight rest on Becker. He tried to comfort her but was very conscious of her neighbours peering out of their windows at them. He picked her and her suitcase up and took her back into the apartment block. She would feel less embarrassed if she was in the comfort of her own home and not on show to all her neighbours. Once he had got he up to her apartment and had placed her on the sofa, he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Cry it out; I'm not having you travelling whilst you're like this. How about I come up with you?"

Jess just nodded her head against his chest. Becker swallowed back the lump in his throat and pulled his phone out of his pocket to text his mum.

_Gotta go to Cardiff with Jess. Her brothers been in an accident and he's seriously injured. Don't want her to be alone right now. Xx_

He sent the text but didn't even have a chance to put the phone away before he got a reply.

_Don't worry about it. Make sure they're all alright. See you soon and remember what I said xx_

Becker chuckled lightly and kissed Jess on the top of her head. The phone rang, startling them both. After manoeuvring himself away from Jess, he answered the call.

"Jess Parker's phone."

"Hello, is Miss Parker there please?"

Becker looked at Jess, who had exhausted herself from crying and was now asleep on the sofa.

"Not at the moment, can I pass along a message?"

"Yes, this is Cardiff Hospital. Her brother has just arrived and we just wanted to inform her."

"Okay, I'll let her know. We'll be down as soon as we can."

"Thank you, bye-bye."

After hanging up the phone, he sighed. Going over to Jess, he picked her up, trying not to wake her. She obviously needed her sleep. He grabbed her suitcase and exited the apartment. Getting into the lift whilst holding her and her suitcase was interesting to say the least. When the lift came to a stop at the bottom of the apartment block, he unlocked his car from a distance. A few minutes later, Jess was seated in the passenger's seat, still asleep, and Becker was beginning the journey to Cardiff. He worried about what news waited for them there.


	6. AN

Sorry this isn't an update. I've had tons of revision for exams and have literally had no time for writing at the moment. I have no inspiration :( if any of you have any ideas of what you would like to see in this story,please PM me and let me know, I really appreciate your ideas.

Hopefully I'll be able to update soon :)

Sam x


	7. Facing Your Worst Fears

Finally managed to get this one written and uploaded! Please let me know what you think. Sam x

They arrived at Cardiff hospital 2 and ½ hours later. As soon as Becker had parked the car, Jess shot out of the door running towards the main entrance. Becker hurried to get to her as he pushed his way through the ignorant people who were going too slowly for his liking. He needed to get to Jess, to comfort her. On arrival at the front desk, he saw Jess trying to convey her brother's information to the receptionist. The problem was, she was sobbing her heart out and was unable to speak a word. Becker walked up to her and placed his arm around her shoulder. He had dealt with enough injured men to know how hysteric the families got at the vague mention that their loved one had been hurt. He looked at the receptionist, who looked like a deer caught in headlights whilst taking in the state that Jess was in.

"Liam Parker? He was flown in earlier today?" The receptionist began to frantically tap at the keyboard, trying to find the necessary information. Becker suspected that she was new, not used to dealing with distraught family members.

"Right, he's in surgery at the moment. His parents arrived a couple of hours ago. I can take you to them if you like."

"Thank you." The receptionist gave him directions to the family waiting room where Jess' parents were waiting for news. Becker steered Jess towards the waiting room, she seemed to be a shell of her normal self.

"Jess, look at me. He'll be fine; the doctors know what they're doing." Jess was looking at him with pleading eyes, a look he had seen many times on wives and girlfriends of the soldiers at the ARC. Becker knew that there was always a possibility that Liam wouldn't be okay, but that wasn't something Jess could take right now. If anything happened, they would deal with it then. The uncertainty of what was going on was what had driven her into this state; she didn't need anything else that would push her over the edge into something that Becker couldn't pull her back from.

They walked into the waiting room where two older looking people were sitting down in the uncomfortable chairs that the hospital provided. They were clearly Jess' parents. The woman had the same auburn hair as Jess, if slightly greying. The facial features could have easily been mistaken for Jess, apart from the eyes. Those distinctive blue eyes that Becker had always loved must have been inherited from her father. Mr Parker was a tall man, slightly taller than Becker. His hair was grey and his eyes were weary yet bloodshot. Mrs Parker was obviously feeling the same things that Jess was feeling at the moment; fear, sadness and worry. Jess' dad, on the other hand, had a emotionless mask upon his face. It was then that Becker remembered Jess telling him that her father was in Special Forces, a general. Even though his face gave no emotion away, his body language showed that he hadn't been completely militarised beyond recognition. General Parker had his arm around his wife's shoulders, much like Becker was with Jess. As soon as Jess saw her parents, she ran into their arms, her sobbing starting up again. Becker stood uncomfortably, not wanting to intrude on the intimate moment between parents and child. The family pulled out of the hug, the women drying their eyes. Mrs Parker placed her hands on either side of Jess' face and gazed at her.

"It's been so long since we last saw you Jess. Why did you leave it so long?" Jess' mother was still distraught and could not seem to rein her emotions in.

General Parker glanced at his wife. "Give the girl a break Christina. I'm sure she's been very busy with work." He glanced at Becker meaningfully, as if trying to convey a warning.

"Yeah...I've been busy. Work is hectic at the moment. I would have come down if I had any spare time."

Jess looked at her father with a grateful look. Becker sympathised with her. He knew firsthand how difficult it was to lie to your family about your job. There were times when he had wanted to talk to his parents about the creatures he had seen, the loss he felt when a soldier died. Unfortunately he couldn't. Each member of the ARC had to carry the burden of their job themselves, with no one to talk to but their colleagues.

General Parker cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Who's this then?" The emotionless mask was in place again whilst he looked Becker up and down.

Jess jumped at the sudden noise. Once she had registered what her father had said, she walked over to Becker's side and placed her hand on his left bicep.

"Mum, dad...this is Captain Hilary Becker. Becker, this is Christina Parker and General Stephen Parker. Or just dad to me."

"General and Mrs Parker, lovely to meet you." Becker extended his hand towards the pair. Mrs Parker pulled him in a hug, completely ignoring his outstretched hand.

"We've heard so much about you Becker. It's nice to finally meet you."

Becker blushed at her comment and looked over at Jess with a raised eyebrow, Jess was blushing too. Mrs Parker let go of him and he turned to Jess' dad, his posture changing into a respectful soldier immediately.

"General Parker, it's a pleasure to meet you sir." He saluted his superior.

"Yes, it is good to meet you too, at ease soldier."

Behind the two men, Jess and her mum were giggling at the display. The two men were acting completely different to how they normally acted around their partners. For a few moments, the unknown fate of their brother and son was pushed to the back of their minds. They were just happy to be seeing each other again. That happiness was short lived though, as a doctor walked into the waiting room with a grim look on his face.

Becker knew that this was a family matter, so he excused himself and decided to make himself useful. He headed towards the coffee machine, the voice of the doctor slowly fading as he walked further away.

Whilst Becker was fetching the four of them coffee, the doctor told the Parker family how the operation went.

"We managed to remove the bullet. It was tricky though, as the bullet was embedded in the stomach. He's comatose at the moment, he lost a lot of blood on the journey to the hospital and during the operation. I'm sorry; we won't know anything more until he wakes up. We'll be monitoring him throughout the night and will contact you if there are any changes in his condition."

Jess' dad walked forward and shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you doctor, we appreciate all that you have done for Liam so far."

The doctor nodded and walked out of the room, giving the family a small, comforting smile on his way out. Jess looked at her parents, waiting for them to speak. After about a minute, Jess decided to break the silence.

"Well...at least it's not as bad as we thought it was going to be." Jess was trying to stay optimistic, not wanting to believe how much danger her older brother was actually in. Her parents looked at her, understanding why she had said it. They pulled each other into another hug, unaware that Becker had walked back into the room.

General Parker was the first one to break the hug, looking at Becker and then his daughter. They relayed the information from the doctor to Becker, and each took a paper coffee cup from him.

"Why don't we all go back to the house? It's a lot more comfortable than this place, and you can both freshen up there," Mrs Parker suggested whilst putting her arm around Jess' waist.

"That sounds like a good idea. We all look like we could do with a few more hours sleep." Jess began to walk out of the room with her dad in front, leading the way, and Becker trailing behind her.

As soon as they got to the Parker house, Jess became extremely tired. Once the car was parked, Becker picked her up and carried her into the house from which he received a glare from the General and a look of adoration from Jess' mother. Her parents gave Becker directions to Jess' old room, and strict instructions that he was to sleep in the guest room (which he had planned on doing anyway). The entire household went to sleep early that night, dreading the morning. They were all in for an emotional time at the hospital, so they all needed as much strength as they could possibly gather.


	8. Happiness Can Be Short Lived

Writing this chapter had me in tears. I'm so sorry for the sadness in this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Sam x

The last two days had been tough on all of them. There had been no change in Liam's condition and the rest of the family were on edge, awaiting news, from their various homes around the country. Jess' parents had called their daughters, who were on leave from their top secret assignments, but unfortunately they couldn't get to Cardiff for another week. Becker had been up with the Parkers at the hospital for the entire time, supporting Jess when she needed it most. He had called the ARC, letting them know of the situation and that they wouldn't be there for the next few days. It surprised him when he remembered that he had to inform the ARC of their whereabouts, he had completely forgotten about it. It had been this way ever since he started to date Jess though; he was more carefree and demilitarised. It was a nice change though.

It was the middle of the night; Becker and Jess were lying on the sofa watching some strange programme on fossils. That was the only thing that was on at 2AM. Neither of them could sleep. Jess' parents had been up at the hospital as early as they possibly could and were absolutely drained, emotionally and physically. With the parents in bed, the house was extremely quite. Becker and Jess had been almost completely still on the sofa, snuggled up against each other. Jess was rather content, for the first time in days. She was soothed by Becker running his hand lightly up and down her arm. If he was going to be honest, he was running his hand over her arm partly because he liked the feel of the silk dressing gown that she was wearing-it was cold to touch. It was hot in the house, triple glazed windows ensuring that no heat escaped the four brick walls. Since it was just the two of them awake, Becker had resorted to removing his shirt and replacing his dark jeans with a pair of shorts. At first, he had felt awkward taking his shirt off and exposing so much skin in someone else's house. Then the heat got the better off him. Even Jess had changed into a short nightgown and dressing gown. Becker was silently thanking whichever Parker had decided on the leather sofa in the living room, it had to be the one piece of furniture that didn't get hot during the boiling weather.

Becker was pulled out of his train of thought by Jess shifting on his chest. His face was illuminated by her phone screen. She was furiously typing, concentrating completely on the tiny iPhone screen.

"What are you doing?!" He couldn't think of a sane reason as to why she would be so interested with her phone at this time in the morning.

"I'm campaigning, trying to spread the word about Doctor Who." She barely even looked at him when she said it, her eyes brightly lit.

"Campaigning for what?"

"The next doctor..."

"Yes...and? Who's in the running?"

"Andrew Lee Potts."

"Who?"

Jess looked at him like he had just grown another head.

"Andrew Lee Potts...is one amazing actor! He is not only brilliant; he is sexy and adorable and was absolutely mind-blowing in Alice as Hatter! How can you not know who he is?!"

"Never heard of him; so how exactly are you campaigning?"

"Through twitter, Facebook and an online petition. Have a look." She turned her phone towards him to show him her twitter feed.

There were about 40 tweets with the same message in them, just on Jess' profile. All of them said '#ALP12thDOCTOR'.

"Will this actually work?" Becker had never really understood how online petitions had ever worked.

"Of course it will work. That's the power of the internet."

Becker smiled and chuckled at her. She had such a serious expression on her face when she was talking about technology. It was so cute.

"Whatever you say; you're the one who knows all about the technology." He was struggling not to snigger at his comment, which Jess picked up on and gave him a stern glare for before easing into a smile.

"You know I can't stay mad at you. It's impossible with those eyes." Jess had admitted many times that his eyes were her weakness.

Becker chuckled and pulled her back down onto the sofa, kissing her softly.

"You're amazing, have I ever told you that?" He was looking up at her in adoration, overwhelmed by his feelings for the young woman.

"No, you haven't...I have been told I was brilliant before...I guess amazing is just as good." It was good to see her teasing him; she had been detached from her usual self for the past few days, not that anyone could blame her.

He was about to reply to her when he was cut off by the house phone ringing. He and Jess looked at each other strangely, wondering who would be calling at this early hour. Jess climbed off of him and grabbed the phone.

"Hello...yes this is the Parker residence...Right...We'll be right down."

Jess hung up the phone and looked down at the floor. Becker went over to her and placed his hands on her biceps, attracting her attention. She ran a hand through her hair and took a shaky breath.

"Um...that was the hospital. Liam's taken a turn for the worst. An infection or something..."

As soon as Becker had heard the word 'hospital' he was already halfway across the room putting hi shoes on. He was on autopilot, getting everything ready as quickly as possible.

"Right, you go and wake your parents and I'll bring the car around. Jess, go!"

Jess seemed to snap out of her unanimated state when he gave her an order. He hated to do so but it was the only way to get through to someone when they were in this state. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could possibly go. Minutes later both her and her parents came rushing back down the stairs looking tired and dishevelled, having thrown on whatever clothes they could find first.

The drive down to the hospital was the fastest that Becker had ever driven, even when pursuing dinosaurs through the streets of London. He parked the car carelessly and ran with the others through the main doors. Once they had got to the reception desk, the doctor who had been treating Liam was there to greet them at the door. Immediately, Becker knew what had happened. Taking one quick glance at General Parker, he knew that he had figured it out too. Becker pulled Jess close to his side, unable to look at her as he knew that he wouldn't be able to bear the expression that was about to cover her face.

"Please tell me he's okay. He's recovering isn't he?" Mrs Parker's voice was eerily quiet as it trembled.

The doctor sighed and looked each family member in the eye, a look of sorrow on his face. Looking over at Mrs Parker, Becker saw that her husband had his arm around her in the same way Becker did with Jess.

"Liam suffered from a severe infection that antibiotics couldn't cure. I'm so sorry; he passed away twenty minutes ago. The infection was discovered too late, there was nothing that could've been done."

Becker felt Jess' body collapse completely against him. There were no tears from her, just a vacant expression on her face. Mrs Parker brought into sobs, falling to the floor and slapping her hands against it. General Parker held her as she screamed at the top of her lungs, pleading for her son to be brought back. Her husband had an almost perfect military facade in place, but Becker saw his eyes swimming in tears. They had drawn a lot of attention from the hospital staff, but Becker didn't care about appearances at the moment. Even though he had never met Liam, Becker still felt his loss just as he had with every soldier he had lost. He placed his head on top of Jess' and lightly kissed her hair. He looked at General Parker, an understanding look in his eye. This was something that every soldier went through: loss. It never got any easier and it always got worse when they lost a member of their family.


	9. Learn To Cherish What Time You Have

They left the hospital soon after receiving the news. Jess' dad had taken on the task of calling the family members, no matter how early it was. Jess was sat with her mother on the sofa, Jess staring into the distance whilst her mother looked at an old photo of herself and Liam. Becker leant against the doorframe connecting the living room to the kitchen. He was absolutely devastated for them all; he could only imagine the pain that they were feeling right now. Sure he'd lost men in the field, but never a family member.

"I knew the risks of joining the army, so did Liam. It never seems real until you lose someone so close to you, does it?" Becker jumped and hit his shoulder on the wooden doorframe as General Becker spoke. He turned to look at the older man, shocked that he was actually showing slight emotion.

"I've...never lost a family member. Close friends have died in battle but never a family member."

"Then you're rather lucky. Cherish every moment with every person you hold close to your heart, you never know when they are going to be wrenched away from you. I learnt that the hard way."

General Parker clapped his hand on Becker's shoulder, offering the young Captain a small smile.

"Sir, if you need help with arrangements..."

"In time, in time, and I think it's time you can call me Stephen. You don't seem to be leaving anytime soon, and my daughter seems to care for you greatly."

"The feeling's mutual. I don't think I've ever felt this strongly about someone."

"It's shown through in the past few days. Not the best circumstances to meet you but you have proven that you're here to stay. Most men would have run at the first hospital call."

"Jess means so much to me. I would never just leave her like that."

"That's reassuring. I'll leave you and Jess to go to sleep."

"Thank you. I'll get Jess settled in her room and then take the guest bedroom again."

"Not tonight. She's going to need someone with her tonight. You're a loyal man Becker, one with morals. I know you won't take advantage of my little girl."

"Of course Sir...Stephen."

Stephen walked into the living room and picked up his wife, who had fallen asleep whilst the men had been talking. After he left the room, Becker went over to Jess and wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you want to go and get some sleep?" He was whispering to her like he had see Abby do with injured creatures, ones that were frightened and frail.

"I think I'll try. Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course I will. I'm not leaving you alone tonight."

Jess looked up at him, tears still falling down her cheeks. Her makeup had run as well, mascara mixed with foundation. She looked desperate for comfort, so Becker picked her up slowly and carried her up the stairs. She huddled herself up against his chest, taking in the warmth from his body heat. The steady thumping of his heart calmed her as he walked. Becker left her to get changed, sensing that he should give her as much privacy as possible. Once they had both changed, they wrapped themselves around each other under the duvet. Then, Jess broke down again. She sobbed uncontrollably against his chest, soaking his pyjama shirt. The sounds that wracked through her tiny body brought tears to his eyes, and eventually pushed them over the edge. They both lay in the bed, him crying silently whilst Jess tried to calm herself. Forty minutes later, she had cried herself to sleep. Everything was quiet in the house, apart from the distant cries of Mrs Parker in the room down the hall. Becker was restless, sleep evading him completely. His thoughts were with the Parkers, but also with his family as well. He wondered if they were okay, what they were doing. He slowly edged his way out from underneath Jess, who was sleeping peacefully, and walked down the hall towards the stairs. Once he had gotten down the stairs, he pulled his mobile out from his jacket pocket and dialled the first number that came to mind.

"Hello?"

"Mum...hi."

"Hilary! How are you my darling? Why are you calling at 11 o'clock at night?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about the time. I just needed to talk to someone."

"Well, I'm always here. Talk away."

"It's...Jess' brother Liam, he passed away today. It just got me thinking."

"That's terrible! Let Jess and her family know that both your father and I are thinking about them at this tragic time."

"I will. I just...I ended up thinking about you, and dad, and the rest of the family. And I...I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of you mum." With that, Becker let his back fall against the nearest wall and he slid down to the ground with tears rolling freely down his cheeks.

"Sweetie...we're always here for you, no matter what. We all love you."

"I know. I'm just...it just...Liam's death made me realise that I don't tell you guys that I love you enough."

"We already know Hilary. We already know."

"I love you...I'm gonna go and get some sleep. I'll speak to you soon."

"Okay. I love you too sweetie."

Becker hung up on the phone and turned around. Jess was sitting on the bottom of the stairs, a watery smile on her features. He hadn't even heard her come down the stairs.

"I've been so caught up in my emotions that I never stopped...never even thought to consider how this must be affecting you. I'm so sorry!" Jess moved over to Becker and hugged him tightly, letting him sob into her shoulder as she did the same to him.

"You shouldn't have to worry about me. I can fight my own demons." Even as he said the words, his body still clung to Jess tightly.

"I do worry though. I love you!"

Becker pulled back and looked at her with wide eyes, not quite believeing that she had just said that.

"Oh...no...I take that back! You're not ready for that. Um...say something."

Becker just looked at her for a moment, and then took a deep breath.

"Please don't take it back. I don't want you to take it back. I...I love you too. I have done for a while now Jess."

Jess laughed in relief and hugged him, pushing him back against the wall. They stayed like that for the rest of the night, holding each other, both falling into an undisturbed sleep with small smiles on their faces.

Sorry for the abrupt ending, this was so hard to write. Too much emotion again. Sam x


	10. Tempers Can Flare and Be Tamed

Sorry if this one isn't as good as the others. I wasn't too sure where to go with this chapter.

The next morning, Jess and Becker woke to the sound of her parents in the kitchen. Jess untangled herself from Becker and walked into the kitchen. Her mum and dad were hunched over something on the table. When Jess got a glimpse of what was on the table, she stopped in her tracks. Funeral plans, Liam's funeral, her brother. Jess' parents turned at the sound of her light footsteps. Both had tired expressions on their faces, bags under their eyes.

"You're already planning his funeral?" Jess couldn't believe that they had started the planning so soon.

"We're trying to get it over and done with. It's easier this way." Her dad seemed to speak for both of them.

"You mean it will be easier to forget all about Liam. Move on and try to block out his death. Just like you always do. The mighty General Parker; never faltering, never showing emotion or weakness. Not even for your own son!"

Stephen stood up and went to stand in front of Jess. At this point, Becker was standing at the back of the room.

"Don't you dare suggest that I don't care! I loved that boy to pieces, just like I love you! If you think for one second that I want to forget about him you're are sadly mistaken young lady! You have no right to accuse me of that. Who do you think you are?!"

Jess shook her head at him before looking him straight in the eye.

"I think I'm your daughter! Even though you never act like I am. You've never...I mean you...all we ever wanted, all of us, was for you to be proud of us. You could never give us that. Liam joined the army because he wanted to be like you, he admired you! Yet you never even gave him the time of day when he was on leave."

"That is not true! I have always been very proud of you all. I love you all. I always gave you children the time of day, as much time as I could give you."

"No, you didn't. Why do you think I don't come home as often anymore? It's not just because of work, it's because I can't stand to be in the same house as you when you hardly ever acknowledge that I'm around!"

Whilst Jess had been screaming at her dad, Becker had moved up behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her backwards, shaking his head at Stephen to stop him from making things worse. He steered Jess into the hallway, away from her parents.

"I don't understand why...Argh!" Jess thrashed against Becker as he held her tightly, trying to calm her down.

"He's your dad, but he's also a general. We're taught to rein out emotions in, to not show weakness. Deep down, you know he loves you!"

Jess sniffed against his chest.

"He should have shown it once in a while."

"Jess, I can see that he regrets how he's acted. He's trying to put it right. The sooner we get the funeral organised, the sooner you can grieve and move on. You never have to forget your brother! Nobody's asking you to."

Jess looked up at him, searching his face to see if he was really believing what he was saying to her. He looked so sincere that it made her smile.

"Okay, thank you so much for calming me down." Jess hugged him tightly and sighed against him.

"You're welcome. I would say anytime but I don't particularly like seeing you like this."

Jess chuckled and pulled out of the hug. She grabbed his hand and led him back into the kitchen. As he went to the fridge to get a glass of orange juice, he witnessed a father-daughter moment out of the corner of his eye. Jess had walked up to her dad and was hugging him. Stephen was holding her tightly and murmuring into her hair. Becker looked at Christina and smiled. Jess pulled out of the hug, smiling at her father. They both sat back down at the table and began to look over the funeral plans again.

Two hours later, they had decided on the funeral. It was going to be military based, as was any funeral for a member of the army. The Parkers had called around Liam's friends, and they had agreed to carry the coffin. Jess had picked out photos of Liam and the family to display at the service. She seemed stronger now, with Becker by her side the whole time. They all got dressed for the day, expecting a few of Liam's friends to turn up to discuss the funeral. James, Aaron, Elijah and Archie had been friends with Liam since nursery school. The five of them were inseparable up until Liam decided to go off into the army. The boys arrived at midday, hugging Jess as soon as she opened the door. They expressed their condolences, still in shock themselves that their best friend was gone.

"Jess...I just can't believe that...that he's gone." Aaron was never one to hold his emotions in, he was never afraid to let others see exactly how he felt.

They all sat down on the sofa, reminiscing about the times when Liam had gotten into trouble with teachers and had tried to shift the blame onto one of the other four.

" I remember, one time, he cut a hole into the wall of the girls changing rooms to sneak a peek. Needless to say, he got caught and told the head teacher that it was me who had made the hole and that I was just letting him have a look. Idiot got in trouble for nothing, there were no girls in the changing room at the time-he was just waiting for someone to show up!" Elijah was holding his stomach as he told the story for the hundredth time.

"He was always a trouble maker. That's why we were so surprised when he wanted to join the army. He had never seemed like the type. He was a good soldier though, loyal and brave." Jess brought herself to tears when she said this, wanting to be able to talk to her brother one last time even if it was just to say goodbye.

The boys noticed Jess crying and pulled her into a hug. It was rather awkward, all of them sat on the sofa cuddling together. Eventually, they all let themselves cry and show their grief. They cried together for about half an hour, after which Jess, Aaron, James and Archie had exhausted themselves. Elijah unattached himself from the group hug and moved over to the adjacent recliner to rest himself. Jess had been through so much over the past few days that it was no wonder she was so tired. They all had been through an emotional turmoil.


End file.
